John Rojas `Mr. Chula Vista Local Historian'

Recognized for Preservation of Local History

Let us say you want to find out
a bit of history about your hometown, where do you go for the
info? You go to the library!

But where does the librarian go when they want to gather information
that someday you will need?

In the city of Chula Vista when the Civic Center Library needs
any information, background, a picture, a story about their town,
the first and usually the last person they talk to is John Rojas,
also known as "Mr. Chula Vista Local Historian".

"John is not only `Mr. Chula Vista Local Historian' here
at the library, but he has a great wealth of material resources
in his home," stated Nora McMartin, Community Outreach Manager
for Chula Vista Public Libraries. "He has the photographs,
he has all kinds of information, and he is the source for most
of the archival materials at the library."

With a chuckle Ms. McMartin continues, "we are always
worried about a fire. Along with his memory, his garage stores
the history of Chula Vista."

The history of the City of Chula Vista starts with the incorporation
of the city in 1911. Despite the relatively recent beginning of
the city there were no historians preserving the information for
future generations. Chula Vista at the time was a farming community;
a community of blue-collar workers and a proliferation of historians
were missing. That was until Rojas arrived in 1960.

A Chief Petty Officer, Rojas retired from the navy in 1972
and went to work for the U.S. Postal Service until 1992. When
not walking the streets for the Postal Service, Rojas would spend
his time walking the streets of Chula Vista taking pictures of
the homes, getting to know his neighbors, and noting the vegetation
and trees in the area.

"What is fascinating about John, just mention an address,
just an address nothing else and he will go on and tell you the
history of that home, who lived there and it could be multiple
tenants, what the structure of the house was, the design, the
period, any other information. So he is what I would call the
walking encyclopedia of Chula Vista history," stated McMartin.

According to his wife Nina, John has always been curious about
the past and through his volunteer work with the San Diego Historical
Society; it marked the beginning of his love for local history.
"I can't remember a day that John hasn't had a book, pencil
and paper with him. With his love of photography he has made all
this visible for the community," she stated.

For 21 years Rojas walked the streets of Chula Vista taking
pictures, writing notes, basically laying the foundation for the
first Historical Society of Chula Vista.

"Had Rojas not started the Historical Society in 1981
I hate to think of the materials that would have been lost,"
stated McMartin. "You only need one person to collect the
materials, but if you don't have that one person, all those memories,
all those materials are gone."

Since moving to Chula Vista John Rojas has been an active historian
collecting, researching and preserving the history of Chula Vista.
His love of the community and desire to preserve the history of
his hometown led to the founding of the Chula Vista Historical
Society in 1981, the publishing of the Chula Vista Historical
Society Bulleting from 1981 to 1991. The publishing of the
Chula Vista - The Early Years, Vols. I-VI. As well as authoring
books of Chula Vista Public Art and Chula Vista's Trees,
and co-author of Historic Chula Vista: Historic Homes and Other
Historic Sites.

"What makes John special is his caring and preserving
of the history of Chula Vista. Accessing the information, artifacts
and pictures from him, and putting all that together we have the
history preserved for the city," stated Frank Roseman, manager
of the Chula Vista Heritage Museum.

"He has created an incredible legacy. John may not always
be here but what he has collected for residents now and for the
future residents of this community is invaluable. You could not
put a price tag on it, as you know once that kind of stuff is
gone it doesn't come back again," continued McMartin.

For all that John Rojas has done for the City of Chula Vista,
the Civic Center Library, McMartin spearheaded a drive to say
thanks and recognize all his efforts. The effort started about
a year ago and through the work of McMartin and of others such
as Frank Roseman, Rojas was recognized on August 31, 1999 with
the passage of a resolution by the City of Chula Vista.

In recognition of the impact John Rojas has in preserving the
history of Chula Vista, the Chula Vista Library Board of Trustees
presented a resolution naming the Local History Room at the Civic
Center Library in honor of John Rojas. From now on, the name of
the local history room will now be known as the "John
Rojas Local History Room."

During Hispanic Heritage Month John Rojas is a shinning example
of the contributions of Hispanic Americans to the United States.

(Editor's Note: Due to the ill health of Mr. Rojas we were
unable to interview him for this article. A reception honoring
him is planned for October 10, 1999 at 10 a.m. in the Civic Center
Library.)